Knocked out of the 2026 World Cup after only two games, Tunisia’s Carthage Eagles are paying for a chaotic build-up. In tears, OGC Nice full-back Ali Abdi held nothing back.
The ending felt written in advance, yet nobody expected a collapse like this. After a 5-1 thrashing by Sweden, Tunisia fell apart again against Japan (0-4), sealing their elimination before the final group-stage match. Seven World Cups, seven first-round exits: for the Carthage Eagles, history keeps repeating itself.
This time, though, one player refused to stay silent. In tears, Ali Abdi rounded on the Tunisian Football Federation, sparing neither former head coach Sabri Lamouchi, sacked mid-tournament and replaced in a hurry by Hervé Renard. « I apologise to the Tunisian fans, not to the people who enjoy leaking information left and right, » he said, his voice cracking, before driving the point home: « We turn up at a World Cup with players who have never played together. » One game remains, on Friday in Kansas City against the Netherlands. For pride.